State commission fines former House Speaker John Diehl $47K

The Missouri Commission on Tuesday fined former House Speaker John Diehl $47,000, for among other things using campaign funds to pay people who were not involved in his candidacy.

Diehl also failed to file timely disclosure reports, and failed to timely declare five expenses totaling $35,620. These included $25,000 for the "Chaminade Fund", and $3,700 for the John Burroughs School.

Diehl must pay $9,762 in 45 days to avoid the rest of the fee.

Marc Ellinger, an attorney for Diehl said Diehl’s campaigns handled “a lot transactions over a long period of time, with a large amount of money, but a few transactions were missed." Marc Ellinger, an attorney for Diehl's campaigns, said that "a lot of transactions were handled over many years and a lot of dollars. A few transactions fell through the crack."

Ellinger added that Diehl’s campaign committee could now be closed.

Diehl has been promoted to vice president and general counsel at Environmental Operations in Clayton, owned by Stacy Hastie. The environmental firm is one of the largest local firms in St. Louis based on revenue.

Diehl is a Republican who was elected into the state Legislature in 2008. He became majority floor leader, and then House Speaker in 2015. He resigned later that same year after it was revealed that he had exchanged sexually explicit texts with a college intern.